You're In My Thoughts
by theheathen42
Summary: Holy crap, COMPLETE! Danny emails Lindsay to thank her for the card. Post 3x14 fic about Danny helping Lindsay get through the trial. The T rating is for language.
1. Chapter 1

**You're in my thoughts.**

_Dear Danny  
I'm not good at long  
goodbyes. Or short ones  
for that matter. But  
Montana calls and the  
cows are heading home._

_MOO._

_See you soon._

_Montana_

Danny smiled to himself as he nursed a beer in his apartment and reread her card for the twentieth time. He'd been confused and a little hurt to see her bid such fond farewells to Mac and Stella. Why wasn't she coming to _him_ for a hug? So she didn't want to date him, that didn't mean he couldn't _hug_ her, did it? Even _Adam_ got a hug from her before she left, and didn't get anything.

At least, that's what he'd thought until her card had fallen at his feet.

It was a simple gesture and a simple message, but the fact that she'd taken the time to do that for him said more than a few short sentences could convey. Maybe she hadn't given up on him, entirely. Maybe he still had a shot at her. Maybe…

Maybe he was getting a little too obsessive about a coworker who was currently halfway across the continent.

Setting his jaw, Danny stood up with a certain amount of determination. Heading over to the desk in the corner of his living room, he powered up his computer. Maybe he could just come right out and _ask_ her.

Licking his lips and running an uncertain hand through his hair, he took a deep breath and opened up his email client.

……………………………………………………………………………………………..

**From: Danny Messer  
To: Lindsay Monroe  
Subject: You're in my thoughts.**

_Hey Montana,_

_I just wanted to let you know that I got your card. Thanks.  
I suck at good-byes, too. Hell, I suck at hellos and everything  
in between. Just ask my Ma._

_Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that Mac told me  
what's going on, and I'm here for you if you need someone to  
talk to or whatever. I know how hard it can be to say stuff  
out loud, sometimes. Maybe writing it down would be easier  
for you._

_Don't you go putting down roots out there in cowboy-land,  
though, you hear me? Just because you guys have fresh air  
and wheat fields doesn't mean New York can't compete.  
We've got way better pizza._

_Say hi to the cows for me._

_Danny_

Lindsay's face broke into a huge grin as she read Danny's email. It always somehow surprised her that he could be so sweet and understanding. It was so much easier to see him as the tough, no-nonsense New York cop than as the friend who'd been there for her so much in the past year and a half.

She was so glad that he'd not only liked her card but had actually written to her to say thanks. Going back home was hard. Seeing how her parents had aged in the months she'd been gone and catching up with people whose lives had changed drastically in the intervening time was stress enough without the thoughts of what she'd have to do now that she was here. Hearing from someone who wasn't intimately involved in the pain she was dredging up was a sort of lifeline back to the sanity she'd rediscovered on the East Coast.

Lindsay had a feeling that she'd be needing quite a bit of sanity in the next few weeks. Settling herself more comfortably in her chair, she hit Reply.

…………………………………………………………………………………………….

**Author's Note: **the text of the card is the same as it was on the show. Yes, I paused it to read the message. I know I'm a freak, so you don't have to tell me. The title of the story and Danny's email is from the printed text on the right-hand side of the card. Anyway, I'm happy enough to leave this as a one-shot, but if you people would like more, just let me know.

And yes, I'll get back to ETR. I've been neglecting it horribly, I know, but… I'm trying to think of a good way to wrap it all up, and I'm coming up short. I don't want it to drag on indefinitely, since it's been feeling kinda flat to me for the last few chapters. I need to remember where I put the funny. I know I had it around here, somewhere…


	2. Chapter 2

**From: Lindsay Monroe  
To: Danny Messer  
Subject: Pizza**

_Hey Cowboy,_

_You just had to mention pizza didn't you? I think I'm going  
through withdrawal out here. The first thing I'm doing when  
I get back is going to Mario's and eating an entire extra large  
all-dressed with extra mushrooms. _

_Things have been alright, so far. My parents met me at the  
airport. You'd think they hadn't seen me in a decade instead of  
just a year. I'd sort of forgotten what it's like to be here with  
them, though. I don't really know how to act around them  
anymore, if that makes any sense at all. _

_Anyway, have you had any interesting cases since I've been  
gone? Is New York still as crazy as I left it? Get any  
decapitated businessmen or water-pistol-wielding whackos?  
Entertain me, will you? I'm going crazy over here._

_The cows didn't say hi, but they did momentarily pause their  
cud-chewing in order to look at me like I was crazy when I  
gave them your best. _

_Say hi to everyone for me,_

_L_

Lindsay bit her lip as she re-read her email. She wasn't entirely sure that she wanted to let him know how strange and unreal things were for her, now, but he'd offered to help her through this stuff, so she might as well test the waters. Adding a quick PS to the end of her message, she hit Send before she could change her mind. She bit her lip again and furrowed her brow anxiously, wanting nothing more than to be able to reach into the internet and grab her email and get it back.

Oh god, what was she thinking?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Danny's head whipped around as the telltale ping erupted from his computer speakers. Shoving the bowl of popcorn unceremoniously at a sarcastically laughing Donald Flack, he vaulted over the back of his sofa and ran over to his computer.

"Y'expectin' somethin' there, Dan-o?" Flack asked mildly, returning his attention to the game on the TV.

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Danny answered distractedly as he tried to open the email, sit down in his chair, and angle his monitor away from his friend, all at the same time.

His face broke into a huge grin as he saw who the email was from and he immediately started reading, unconsciously holding his breath. "Heh, Mario's," he chuckled under his breath. He'd take her there. He'd meet her at the airport and drive her right there, not even dropping off her bags. If she wanted Mario's pizza, he'd give her Mario's pizza. His grin faded as he read the part about her parents. Squinting at the screen, he ran a hand through his hair and licked his lips. That one was going to take some thought before he wrote back. She was taking him up on his offer, and now he had to prove that he was serious and that he wouldn't fuck it up. His grin returned in full force as he read her questions about cases. _That_ was definitely something he knew something about. He might not be that great with emotions and shit, but he knew his way around a criminal file and then some.

His jaw dropped slightly when he got to the end of her email. He blinked and removed his glasses, polishing his lenses on the bottom of his shirt before replacing them on his face. He pushed them right up on his nose and leaned in closer to his monitor and reread the sentences slowly and carefully, making completely sure that they said what he thought they said.

_PS. Don't worry about me putting down roots out here.  
These days I find myself preferring urban cowboys to  
the real deal. Wheat fields are kind of boring compared  
to sky scrapers, anyway._

Danny leaned back in his chair, cradling the back of his head with his hands. He finally allowed himself to breathe again, and his smile was so big it hurt his face. Looked like he might just have a shot, after all.

**Author's Note: **Well, there's Lindsay's response. Obviously, I've decided to continue this story. It's all the fault of episode 3x16 with it's little "I love you, DL" and the look on Danny's face at the beginning of the episode and the fact that I'm going through withdrawal. I hope that you all like chapter 2, such as it is. If you do, I'll keep going. Perhaps even have (gasp) TWO emails in the next chapter. What an idea!


	3. Chapter 3

Danny rather impatiently sat through the rest of the game with Flack, too distracted by Lindsay's email to fully appreciate the quality of play on the screen. Flack tried half-heartedly to get some information out of him as to why he was being such a "doot-de-doot" all of a sudden, but he was much too interested in football to press too hard.

Sighing with relief when his friend finally left, taking the last of the beer with him much to Danny's displeasure, Danny returned to his seat at his computer and started typing.

**From: Danny Messer  
To: Lindsay Monroe  
Subject: Cud?**

_Hey Linds,_

_You're coming at me with cud, now? I looked it up, and that  
shit is **not** appetizing. You completely ruined my dinner. I  
want a rain check when you get back. How's Mario's sound?_

_I can kind of see where you're coming from with that stuff  
with your folks. I mean, I've never really left town or  
anything, so I haven't had the "Prodigal Son" experience  
you're going through, but I have had the weirdness you get  
when you try to visit home after not living there for a while.  
Of course, in my family, you're a kid no matter how old  
you get. That's the reason behind my boyish charm, you  
know. _

_What I'm trying to say is this: your parents love you, right?  
And they know that you're in town to do something really  
hard for you, right? And the best way they know how to  
take care of you is by doing the same things they used to do  
for you when you were a kid. Think of this like a vacation  
from being grown up. You don't have to be the tough one  
for now. You've got them there to pick up the pieces if you  
let yourself fall apart. _

_Falling apart isn't weak, Montana. You remember that, ok?_

_Now, you want an interesting case? Right now, I'm working  
on a shoplifting murderer. That's pretty decent already, right?  
It gets better though. It turns out our guy's **invisible**. Can you  
believe that? Like we don't have a hard enough time catching  
them when we can actually see what they look like. Eesh._

_Alright, this is getting pretty long, so I guess I'll go to bed. I'll  
let you know what happens with the Invisible Murderer if you  
keep me posted on how you're doing. Deal?_

_Danny_

_PS. How do you think I'd look in a cowboy hat?_

…………………………………………………………………...

Lindsay laughed through the few tears she'd shed when she read his advice about her parents. She had to admit that the man made a certain amount of sense. She really _didn't_ need to keep the walls up for her Mum and Dad. They'd been there when she'd gone through this the first time, and they'd be with her now. They knew better than anyone else besides her just how she'd been affected by the events of that night.

Shuddering, she blocked out the memories, trying not to recall the faces of her friends as they lay there, dead. Trying not to remember exactly how the blood had pooled or how sticky her skin was where it coated her hands and arms. Taking a deep, shaky breath, she felt the calm wash over her again. She had years of practice at keeping these thoughts at bay, and she'd need all of that practice and more in order to keep herself together for the next few weeks.

_Falling apart isn't weak, Montana. You remember that, ok?_

The line seemed to jump right off the screen at her. It grew larger and larger in her vision until it swam directly in front of her eyes, and that's when the first sob escaped. It had been years since she'd last allowed herself the "luxury" of crying over the event. It had been so long since she'd let herself even _feel_ the horror of that night. It had been a lifetime since she'd been the young girl who had fallen apart completely, but now she needed to let herself come apart again.

Her mother heard the wracking sobs as they tore through her chest. Quietly pushing aside her daughter's bedroom door, she entered the room and gently guided her little girl over to the bed. She sat up against the headboard and let Lindsay wrap herself around her, just like she did when she was young and there was a boogeyman in her closet. Now, though, her little girl was a grown woman, and the boogeyman was real. She held her daughter close and soothed her tears, glad that she was finally letting them out.

…………………………………………………………………...

**To: Danny Messer  
From: Lindsay Monroe  
Subject: The Invisible Man**

_Howdy partner,_

_I think you'd look totally hot in a cowboy hat. Where by  
"totally hot" I mean "fairly ridiculous." But you should  
give it a shot, anyway. It might just be a good look for  
you. I'd kind of miss the spikey hair, though. _

_And what's this about boyish charm? You think you're  
charming? Have you been taking drugs from the  
evidence locker or something? (grin)_

_I'm sorry that my reference to cud put you off of your  
dinner, but rain check or no, you're buying. It's the  
least you could do after **twice** now reminding me that  
I'm a thousand miles from good pizza. I even promise  
I'll show up this time._

_So, where have you gotten on the Invisible Murderer?  
Have you figured out a way to track him down? Do you  
even know it's a "he"? Was there any usable trace or an  
audio track on the video surveillance that could possibly  
help get you an ID?_

_Sorry about that. I'm getting a little nutty with not being  
on a case and all. _

_Speaking of which. I took your advice. You know, about  
my parents. I finally let go and let it all out and it felt…  
well, not "good" exactly, but I feel lighter now. It's good  
to know that the world won't end if I let myself remember.  
And I have to remember. _

_I really don't want to remember._

_Linds _

**Author's Note:** yeah, I got angsty. I don't usually "do" angst, but I don't think it's possible to write this story without it, so I gave it a shot. I'm trying to keep the lightheartedness in there, too though, so hopefully the balance is working out all right.


	4. Chapter 4

Danny carried a few bags with him as he exited the elevator on the 35th floor. A passing tech jostled him slightly, and he dropped one of them, spilling its contents all over the linoleum. Muttering to himself, he started trying to pick everything up.

"Planning a hoe-down or something, Danny?" Stella asked, smiling as she helped him gather up a pile of cowboy hats and put them back in their bag.

"Just a little somethin' to show Montana we miss her, y'know? That we didn't forget her or nothin' while she ain't in town." Danny bounced slightly on the balls of his feet, licking his lips and hoping that he wasn't actually _blushing_ like he thought he might be. He hadn't blushed since about the fifth grade.

Stella raised one eyebrow with a knowing look, but decided to leave it. For now. "Count me in," she said enthusiastically. "Just let me know when and where."

…………………………………………………………………

**From: Danny Messer  
To: Lindsay Monroe  
Subject: Mario's  
Attachment: cowboys.jpg**

_Howdy Montana,_

_I take offense at the idea that I would look "completely  
ridiculous" in a cowboy hat, and I have attached  
photographic evidence to support the claim that I am, in  
fact, "totally hot" in one. If anyone is looking ridiculous  
in that picture, it's Flack. _

_Or maybe Hawkes._

_Possibly Sid. _

_Alright, alright. We all look like idiots, but we did it for  
you. Now you **have** to come back, just so you can make  
fun of all of us for wearing that stuff wrong._

_I'm glad that you decided to "let it all out" like you said.  
I don't know how people keep it all inside like you do.  
When Louie got beat up, I could barely keep it together,  
and here's you with all that shit actually happening **to** you  
and your friends…I wish there were something I could do  
to help you out, somehow.  
_

_Anyway, how's the trial going so far? Does the DA have a  
good case? When do you have to testify? Do you think you  
can handle it? _

_My invisible murderer turned out to be neither invisible  
nor a murderer, surprisingly enough. She **was** a big-time  
shoplifter, though. We're talking **thousands** of dollars in  
merchandise in a single day. She could hit more shops  
in one afternoon than your usual shoplifter could hit in a  
week! _

_By the way, why are chicks willing to pay $25,000 for a  
frickin handbag, anyway? Does that make any sense at  
all? I mean, I could get a **Harley** for that much, and  
have money left over for a nice leather jacket._

_Of course, I've already **got** a nice leather jacket. I've got  
some pretty good looking jeans, too. My boots aren't too  
shabby, either. I think I could clean up pretty nice, don't  
you, Lindsay? Say, when you get back and you promise  
to show up for me? I might even be willing to go  
someplace nicer than Mario's, if you're sure you won't  
be standing me up, this time. It's not that I mind so much  
being stood up. I just don't like having to pay $8 for a cup  
of coffee while I wait._

_Danny_

He sat there for a moment, staring at his computer. He wondered if he'd been sensitive enough about her "falling apart" confession, but he really didn't know what to say in order to make it all better. He wanted nothing better than to be able to reach into the computer and pull her out of his monitor for a hug, but he couldn't. He couldn't depend on actions, now. Now, it was all about words, and he just had to find the right ones to say.

Running a hand through his hair, he blew out an uncomfortable breath. She needed to hear it, even if she didn't feel the same way. She needed to know that someone out there cared for her and was waiting for her. She needed him to just suck it up and put his shit on the table.

With a determined look in his eye, he leaned forward over the keyboard, once more.

_PS. I'd pay $25,000 a cup, if I were waiting for you._

**Author's Note:** I just couldn't resist a good mush. It might be a bit out of character, but my excuse is the fact that this is in an email and therefore easier for him to say. Also, am I the only one out there who would actually be willing to pay some form of money in order to see the entire cast dressed up as cowboys?


	5. Chapter 5

**From: Danny Messer  
To: Lindsay Monroe  
Subject: You ok?**

_Hey Linds,_

_I haven't heard for you for a couple of days, so I was just  
checking in to make sure that you're alright. Are you  
alright?_

_I guess you're probably getting pretty busy with the trial  
and all. I'll be here when you get some time to reply._

_Danny_

……………………………………………………………….

**From: Danny Messer  
To: Lindsay Monroe  
Subject: Holy Shit**

_Montana,_

_I know you're probably not really all that talkative or  
anything right now, but I just had to ask if you knew about  
this, too: Mac and Peyton? I mean, seriously. **Mac** and  
**Peyton**?! What the hell? When did that happen? Even  
FLACK knew before I did._

_I guess Mac isn't all that set against intra-office  
fraternizing, after all, eh?_

_Danny_

………………………………………………………………..

**From: Danny Messer  
To: Lindsay Monroe  
Subject: I'm sorry**

_Lindsay,_

_I'm really sorry if what I said in that email upset you or  
something. It's okay if you're still not ready. I mean, I  
understand if you want me to back off and stuff. I don't  
want to push you, especially right now._

_I guess I just want you to know that I care about you and  
that I'll be here for you whenever you're ready._

_Please email back? _

_Danny_

……………………………………………………………….

**From: Stella Bonasera  
To: Lindsay Monroe  
Subject: Danny**

_Hiya Linds,_

_Look, I'm just going to say this outright, and you can take it  
however you want: Danny is crazy about you._

_It was his idea to dress up as cowboys for you. He's the one  
who tipped me that you've been stressed out all year. He's  
the one who noticed that you've seemed more comfortable in  
the lab than in the field, recently._

_He's also driving the rest of us completely up the wall because  
you haven't emailed him in four days. PLEASE, have mercy on  
the rest of us and give the poor guy a break, will you? He means  
well, even if he **does** stick his foot in his mouth more often than  
not._

_(hugs) I hope that you're doing alright with the trial and all.  
You have my number if you ever need to talk. _

_I miss you, chickie._

_Stella _

……………………………………………………………….

**From: Mac Taylor  
To: Lindsay Monroe  
Subject: Danny**

_Hello Lindsay,_

_I hope that things are going well for you in Montana and  
that the trial is progressing satisfactorily. Let me know if  
you think you'll need some more time off. I understand how  
taxing this must be for you._

_That said, would you please take a moment and contact  
Danny? He's been distracted lately. It hasn't affected his  
job performance, yet, but I'm concerned about what might  
happen if he doesn't hear from you, soon._

_Also, he's been using department resources to locate your  
parents' phone number in Montana. I'm letting it slide, this  
time, but I'd appreciate you contacting him, all the same.  
_

_I look forward to having you back on the team,_

_Mac_

………………………………………………………………

**From: Lindsay Monroe  
To: Danny Messer  
Subject: I'm here**

_Hi Danny,_

_I'm sorry that I haven't emailed you, recently, but I've just…_

_My testimony started on Monday. At first it was just  
background information, but then…I really can't…_

_Let me try this again._

_I'm really sorry that I haven't emailed you for a few days,  
but I've been having a hard time keeping everything  
together and I really don't want to make a mistake with  
you. Not like I did in the fall. But I also don't know if I'm  
completely ready for this, yet._

_Can we just… I know that this isn't really what you want  
to hear or anything, but can you wait for me? Just for a  
little while?_

_Montana_

_PS. You clean up better than nice. You clean up amazing._

**Author's Note: **So this is how I've decided to start with her portion of the trial. I figured that, no matter how cute and flirty and funny Danny could be, Lindsay probably wouldn't jump onto the computer immediately after starting her testimony, and that Danny would probably be fairly worried about her if he hadn't heard from her in a few days. Thanks go out to RachelHeidi and TheLittleCorinthian for their help with this one, since I really wasn't sure about the chapter. This is also the first chapter with no exposition aside from emails, so let me know if that's a good or bad thing. Hope you liked it!


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: **I'm going to say this up front just in case you don't read the notes at the ends of chapters. I live in Asia (for now) and I download the episodes, after they've aired. That means that (what with time differences and me sleeping and working and stuff) I don't see the new episodes until 1-3 days after you do. I'd appreciate not having any references to the new episode in the comments. Keep me spoiler free! Thanks!

One more note: this first scene is what was happening leading up to Lindsay's email in the last chapter. Chapter 5 had no exposition whatsoever, and Chapter 6 is almost completely the opposite. SO MUCH narration, I can't even believe myself. I _never_ go on this long setting up a scene. Still, I think it's necessary in order to fully explain her mental state.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

While she knew, deep down, that he was being incredibly sweet and thoughtful and even _romantic_ (Danny? seriously?), Lindsay just couldn't seem to find it in her to care. Even the picture of half of the lab dressed up as farmhands and making campy faces for the camera wasn't enough to make her crack a smile. She'd email him later. Maybe tomorrow. It could wait.

Crawling under the covers of her bed, she lay awake for a while, not really thinking but just trying to calm her heartbeat enough to lose consciousness. She thought again about that PS. Danny had written to her. _I'd pay $25,000 a cup, if I were waiting for you._ He didn't really mean that. Did he?

She rolled over again, this time onto her right side, and fluffed her pillow with more force than was strictly-speaking necessary. She couldn't _believe_ he'd made such a fuss about her not emailing back that Stella and (of all people!) **Mac** had felt it necessary to contact her and tell her to write him back. So she hadn't emailed in a few days. What was the big deal? Did he really have to embarrass her like that? My god, _Mac_ knew what was going on.

Rolling onto her back again, she bounced her head against the pillow a few times, wishing she could knock herself unconscious and fall asleep, already. What _was_ going on, anyway? Danny certainly seemed attracted to her. But what did he expect to get in return for that attraction? Drinks and laughs? More? Why couldn't he just come right out and _say_ what he wanted from her? Why did everything have to be a big, confusing mystery? Did she even want more?

Stupid question. She'd known for months that she wanted more. She wanted any and all that he was willing to give. But not yet. Not until she was sure of him. Still, she'd be stupid to let him get away just because she couldn't get her head out of her ass long enough to make a decision.

Setting her jaw, she sat up in bed and opened her laptop to reply. Ten minutes and one rather distraught email later, she settled back under the covers. She fell asleep almost immediately.

……………………………………………………………….

Lindsay woke up the next morning bright and early. Laying in bed for a short while, she soaked in the sounds and smells of the house where she'd grown up. She looked around her childhood bedroom, smiling at the old pictures of herself and her friends at various stages in their lives and trying to remember the names of every single one of the thirty or so stuffed animals that were piled on and around the window seat of her room.

Getting up from her bed, she looked out at the day ahead and saw that the sun was finally shining again. It had been hiding behind clouds ever since she'd arrived in Montana, and she was beginning to forget what it even looked like. Snow had fallen sometime during the night and it glittered so brilliantly that it hurt her eyes. She'd always loved the look of fresh snow. Nothing in the world could be completely terrible if something that beautiful could exist.

Displacing several teddy bears from her window seat (and apologizing to each, by name as she did so), she sat down in the warmth of the sunlight and opened up her laptop. Today was a new day and not nearly as horrible as the previous night. Today, she had her hope back. Today, she felt almost like her old self. Today, she was willing to take a chance.

**From: Lindsay Monroe  
To: Danny Messer  
Subject: Let's try that again…**

_Good morning, Danny,_

_Alright, it's no longer the middle of the night, and I've had  
a good sleep (nap?), so I'm feeling a bit more able to write  
you a decent email, now. I know that the one I wrote last  
night (or does 3:30am count as this morning?) probably  
wasn't all that coherent, so I'm giving it another shot._

_Thanks so much for that picture of all of you! You guys look  
so great in cowboy hats! I think I'll petition Mac to make it  
the lab uniform (grin). Speaking of Mac, how did you **not**  
know about him and Peyton? They've been together since at  
least the fall, if not before. I had my suspicions during the  
case with the guy on the Brooklyn Bridge and the marriage  
proposal on the side of the building. Remember that one?  
Anyway, they were pretty close (for Mac), so I figured they  
might be an item. I take it they've gone public, then?_

_Good to know about his opinions regarding intra-office  
dating. There's this guy I know back in New York who's  
making me want to ask him out. He's really hot and has  
quite a knack for saying sweet things. Oh yeah, and he looks  
really incredibly fantastic in a cowboy hat. I wouldn't pay  
$25,000 for a handbag, but I might just pay that much for  
**him**._

_Oh, and his accent? Totally sexy._

_The trial is going well so far, I think. I mean, I don't really  
want to think too much about what the outcome might be  
because if I do that, I'll just drive myself crazy, but the  
prosecutor is building a strong case, so I think we'll win.  
I started my testimony on Monday with the basic sort of  
background information that you usually start out with.  
Who was where and doing what, that kind of thing. For a  
little while there, while I was remembering that day, it was  
as if everything that happened was just a bad dream and I  
would wake up any minute. But then, I opened my eyes and  
he was sitting there at the table in front of me, and I…Yeah.  
We called a recess at that point._

_I started in again on Tuesday, finishing off the testimony  
that I was meant to give on Monday, and then starting in on  
the actual… events that transpired. I was alright at the start,  
really I was. I was professional and thorough, just like when  
I testify as a CSI. But then, he just… the **asshole** actually  
started laughing. Can you believe that? There I am, on the  
witness stand, telling everyone about the night when my **best  
friends** were brutally murdered and I almost died along with  
them, and that fucking **bastard** laughed at me. I broke down,  
completely. Falling apart may not be weak, but it sure doesn't  
go over well in a courtroom._

_The judge ordered him to stop, but he wouldn't and his  
lawyer couldn't make him settle down, either. After about  
ten minutes of that, I was dismissed again and both of them  
were held in contempt of court. That's where we stand right  
now. The trial won't resume until he apologizes to the judge,  
and his lawyer isn't having much luck with that. I'm kind of  
glad to have the break, though. It'll help me focus on getting  
back in control, again.  
_

_I promise I'll warn you next time if I'm going to take an  
extended vacation from the computer. Sorry to have made  
you worry so much._

_I miss you._

_Lindsay_

Biting her lip, she re-read her email. It was almost the polar opposite of the one she'd written in the middle of the night, in the middle of a bout of depression, in the middle of the second-worst experience she'd ever had. She knew that she didn't really feel as bright and cheerful as she'd made herself out to be at the beginning of her letter, but she also knew that she wasn't nearly as melancholic as she'd appeared in her email of last night.

_PS. I'm not nearly as crazy as these emails make me seem.  
I promise._

She took a deep breath and hit Send, hoping that Danny would be able to find the balance in her messages, like he so often did for her. She had a feeling that if anyone were able to understand the depth of emotions she was experiencing right now, it would be him.

**Author's Note: **I hope that I sufficiently explained how she could have made such a turnaround in attitude overnight. If you hate it, feel free to yell at me in the reviews (or in PM). This time, the thanks go out to sugah66 for the beta and the whole idea for the first scene of the chapter. Thanks!


	7. Chapter 7

Danny snorted and nuzzled further into the crook of his arm, trying to burrow his way far enough inwards that the insistent buzzing noise on the edge of his hearing would somehow go away. Twisting slightly, he was greeted by a wrenching pain in his lower back and an unpleasant tingling pain in his left leg as it experienced a new position for the first time in several hours. The buzzing grew more dominant in his hearing range, and he reached over, blindly, to swat at the alarm next to his bed.

Unfortunately, however, he only succeeded in knocking his desk lamp onto the floor. The sound of broken glass tinkling on hardwood finally dragged him up into consciousness and he was surprised to find that he'd fallen asleep at his computer, one hand resting on the mouse where it had been hitting "check mail" over and over again.

He blinked slowly, trying to focus on his hand and connect his current position to his reason for being there. Neurons and synapses in his brain attempted to move and connect but failed miserably after a night of horrendous sleep in a distinctly uncomfortable position. Finally, he turned his head enough to look at his monitor, and it all came back to him.

**Subject: I'm here**

The wave of relief he felt was enough to launch his head up from its cradle in his arm. His wide, sleepy grin displaced a stray paperclip from where it had been stuck to his cheek. Ignoring the discomfort in his back and his leg, he sat up straight in his chair and somehow maneuvered his now-claw-like right hand such that he was able to click on the email he'd been waiting four interminable days to receive. She'd just been testing him, wanting to be sure of him before she gushed out how wonderful and romantic he'd been and how she was getting on a plane as soon as possible to come back to New York and to him so… they… could…

Danny's brow furrowed slightly. This wasn't a happy email. This wasn't a "you're so amazing and wonderful and charming and thoughtful and I really want to have all of the sex with you RIGHT NOW" email. This wasn't an email that a guy wanted to read after putting himself out there like he'd done.

This was an email that took that tiny little flame of hope that you'd been nurturing oh-so-carefully for _days_ and stomped on it. Then smothered it with a king-sized bedspread. And poured about twenty gallons of water on top. Before stuffing it in a deep freeze. And removing all of the oxygen.

Shaking his head as if to wake himself up from a dream, he stood up and wandered into the kitchen. He passed by the coffee maker and went straight to the fridge. 9am or not, he was going to have a beer. Maybe two. It was his day off, so who would care? Not Lindsay, apparently. He snorted as he popped the cap off the bottle with a well-placed hit against the edge of the counter. How could he have imagined that she'd changed her mind. She'd made herself pretty damned clear back in September when she'd stood him up for their date. Their first date, and she couldn't even _call_ him to say that she was chickening out.

It just fucking figures. He finally decides to take everyone's advice and go for a "nice" girl, and she ends up not even giving him the time of day. He sucked down a huge swallow of cold, bitter alcohol and then returned to the computer, the words "_don't want to make a mistake_" still swimming around and around in his mind.

Taking a deep breath, he ran his hands over his face and through his hair before starting at the beginning again. Alright, she's sorry she hasn't emailed. That's nice and polite. The kind of thing you say to the kindly old aunt who sends you $10 every Christmas but you never actually keep in touch with except to say thank you once a year. Her testimony started. Hmmm. Yeah, that's a pretty good reason not to want to flirt with some schmuck in another state whom you're trying to let down easy.

He took another long pull of his beer in preparation for the "let's just be friends" portion that was coming up. Leaning back in with a sigh, he started reading again, this time more carefully.

Wait a second. The mistake was in the fall? She doesn't know if she's ready? She wants him to wait? Danny raised an eyebrow and turned to look at the beer sitting next to his mouse before rolling his eyes back to the screen. _PS. You clean up better than nice. You clean up amazing._ He turned back to look fully at the message on his monitor. Was she… flirting? Possibly?

He was just wondering where he'd put that piece of paper with her phone number on it when his computer pinged to let him know he had new mail. He wavered in his chair for a moment, trying to decide between the desire to comfort a possibly flirting and definitely distressed Lindsay and the Pavlovian response deep in his gut that required he immediately investigate any new emails he might have received. Years of internet usage had him well-trained.

**Subject: Let's try that again…**

He gulped. His fingers twitched on the mouse and he fumbled for a moment before managing to open this latest message from her. Learning his lesson from the last time, started reading slowly and carefully from the very beginning and not jumping to any conclusions about what she might mean.

Talk about the difference a day makes! It was like she was a completely different person. He actually briefly wondered if the traumatic events that she'd been dealing with had led to some sort of mental schism that resulted in a secondary personality.

She knew about them from the **Bridge**? Holy shit, how fucking thick was **he**, then? What the hell were they paying him for if he couldn't even notice two of his coworkers had started up a thing.

Whoa. Definitely no question about the flirting thing, now.

Unless she's talking about Flack. Shit. That's a thought that's going to fester.

He cracked his knuckles as he read about what she'd been through so far during her testimony. Reading about her being in pain like that made him want to hit something. Hard. Preferably the bastard who was sitting there laughing while Montana was falling apart. He'd rip out the fucker's larynx and feed it to him and **then** see who was laughing.

Danny squinted and tried to focus on the thought that was jumping up and down in the back of his brain, trying to be heard over all of the abusive thoughts that were crowding it into the corner. Something about the ping. The ping meant that he had email. It meant that the email was new. His email client checked for new messages every minute, which meant that new mail had been sent recently. Very recently. Which… meant… that…

She's online.

Taking one more gulp of beer, Danny opened up his Messenger. A quick glance told him she was there and available to chat. All he had to do was click.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

**Author's Note: ** And now, a chapter without any emails whatsoever. You wanted Danny's reaction to her various emails, and now you have it. I hope it didn't disappoint. :D And now for the fun part of this story: audience participation. I've decided that I want to take this from email to IM, but that means that I need nicknames. I'd have made them up, myself, but it's 3am and I'm kind of half-drunk (it was poker night, stupidly scheduled on a Thursday when I have to work tomorrow) so I can't think of anything good. Therefore, give me your suggestions, and I'll pick my favourite ones (one for Danny and one for Lindsay… if you want some for other characters, too, feel free to suggest away). The only prize I've got is for you to be given credit for the name. And if I ever go nuts and write a Danny+Lindsay+baby(s) fic, I'll name them after you :D God, I need sleep.

No beta this time. I'm just posting. If you hate it, it's all my fault. Of course, if you love it, it's also all my fault. Funny, that.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: ** When I said "Messenger" in the last chapter, I was basically just thinking of a generic IM program, not MSN in particular. But then I realized that I don't want their screennames to overshadow the text of what they say, and if I _did_ have them on MSN, they could have fairly simple names that were basically just themselves. When I'm on MSN, my name is just "Heather" not anything more complicated than that. Of course, other IM programs require original names and that's where I found myself thinking of (or choosing) funny/quirky/interesting names that I might just use in another story that is more suitable to that sort of mood. As it is, I think I'm going to keep it simple. And thanks to RachelHeidi and TheLittleCorinthian for Danny's name.

Also, I refuse to use abbreviations like "ur" instead of "you're" because they drive me insane. Blame it on me being an English teacher, if you want.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

**NYPDanny:** You think it's the emails that make you seem crazy? ;)

Lindsay blinked at her computer screen. When had she logged onto MSN? Hadn't she turned off that "automatically connect" option? She should do that now, while she was thinking of it. Biting her lip, she sighed. That was the lamest excuse ever created to avoid talking to someone. And it's not like she _didn't_ want to talk to Danny… she just wanted to have a little warning beforehand was all.

Danny closed his eyes with a pained expression. Calling a chick crazy probably wasn't the best way to get her to talk to you, let alone date you. He glanced over at his beer but couldn't really blame the alcohol since he hadn't even finished one bottle, yet. Nope. The only excuse for that pathetic attempt at humour was complete and utter frustration with to what the hell was going on. And the only way to get rid of his confusion and get his game back was to come right out and ask her what the hell was going on. Ah, but how to do that with subtlety and guile such that she wouldn't realize what he was asking.

**NYPDanny:** So, what the hell's going on, anyway?

Right. _Not_ like that. Danny put a hand over his face and pulled it downwards, dragging his jaw open before snapping it shut again in determination. Standing up, he brought his beer to the kitchen and poured the rest of it down the drain. Maybe coffee was the better way to go, after all.

**LindsInMT: **Not a lot. Just woke up. You?

Lindsay hugged Panda-rooney to her chest and nuzzled her face into the top of his stuffed-fur head. Her heart was beating quickly and the butterflies in her stomach were doing the Macarena. What in the world must he think of her after a couple of emails like the ones she'd sent? She chose to misinterpret his question as just asking what she was doing instead of the (probably more accurate) enquiry into her mental health and the status of their relationship. "How are you?" was a tough enough question these days without adding those others on to the end.

**NYPDanny:** ditto. Future reference? Sleeping at your desk ain't a good idea.  
**LindsInMT:** thanks for the tip. I'll keep it in mind.  
**NYPDanny: **I feel like something you wipe off the bottom of your shoe  
**LindsInMT:** ew! I hate having gum on the bottom of my shoe! I spend the whole day walking around like John Cleese or something  
**NYPDanny:** … sure. gum. right. ;)  
**NYPDanny:** so…  
**LindsInMT:** so…  
**NYPDanny:** got your emails  
**LindsInMT:** yeah?  
**NYPDanny:** lucky for you, I seen you eat bugs. After that, NOTHING is crazy!  
**LindsInMT:** right back atcha, Messer :)  
**LindsInMT:** thanks again for that picture of all you guys… it was really great to see you all again  
**NYPDanny:** and how hot we look in cowboy hats?  
**LindsInMT: **and how hot you look in cowboy hats, yes :D  
**LindsInMT:** Don looks almost exactly like my high school Chem teacher  
**NYPDanny:** poor guy  
**LindsInMT:** not really :D Half the girls in school had a crush on him  
**NYPDanny:** only half?  
**LindsInMT:** the rest were still in puberty :P  
**NYPDanny:** and which half were you in?  
**LindsInMT:** he didn't start teaching there until I was in grade 11… you figure it out ;)  
**NYPDanny:** well damn, Ms. Monroe! ;)  
**NYPDanny: **scuse me for a sec while I picture you as a naughty schoolgirl :)  
**LindsInMT: **haha :P  
**NYPDanny: **…yeah, that thought's a keeper ;)  
**LindsInMT:** I'm not bringing my uniform back to New York  
**LindsInMT:** I don't care how hot you look in a cowboy hat  
**NYPDanny: **you seriously had a uniform?  
**NYPDanny:** for real?  
**NYPDanny:** (and don't think I didn't notice that you just called me hot)  
**LindsInMT:** for real, yes  
**LindsInMT:** (it was a momentary lapse of sanity, see above reference to me being crazy ;) )  
**NYPDanny:** what's a guy gotta do to make you bring it back here to NY?  
**NYPDanny:** (suuuure it was. I'm hotter than Flack, though, right?) :D  
**LindsInMT: **I haven't the words to describe what a guy would have to do in order to make me willing to don that horrendous uniform again  
**LindsInMT:** but it would probably require more money than you get with a cop's salary ;)  
**NYPDanny:** Ouch. That hurts, Montana. That really, really hurts.  
**NYPDanny:** (well? am I or what?)  
**LindsInMT:** (I'm thinking…)  
**NYPDanny:** wtf? isn't it one of those things you just KNOW? Mac's always by the book, Stella's a total mom, Sid's a little crazy, and I'm hotter than Flack.  
**LindsInMT:** I dunno… he -does- have all of those suits… ;)  
**NYPDanny:** I got suits!  
**LindsInMT:** hmm…  
**LindsInMT:** well, you -do- have glasses…  
**NYPDanny:** that good or bad?  
**LindsInMT:** good. very, very good.  
**NYPDanny:** yeah :D  
**LindsInMT:** you're grinning right now, aren't you? I can tell. You're sitting there at your computer, grinning like an idiot because I just told you that you're hotter than Flack  
**NYPDanny:** YES! She says it! (victory dance)  
**LindsInMT:** I totally just got a mental image of you dancing around like Animal from the Muppet Show  
**LindsInMT:** I think the sleep deprivation is warping my mind  
**LindsInMT:** first, I think you're hot, and now this! ;)  
**NYPDanny:** haha :P  
**NYPDanny:** so…  
**LindsInMT:** yeah?  
**NYPDanny:** nothing  
**LindsInMT:** what?  
**NYPDanny:** I was just curious about something is all  
**LindsInMT:** and what was that?  
**NYPDanny:** this really hot guy in NY with the accent and shit…  
**LindsInMT:** what about him?  
**NYPDanny:** …nm  
**LindsInMT:** he's not interested?  
**NYPDanny:** if he's not, he's an idiot  
**NYPDanny:** y'alright there, Montana?  
**LindsInMT:** are you an idiot, danny?  
**LindsInMT:** hello? are you still there?  
**NYPDanny:** sorry about that. THAT time, I was sitting here at my computer, grinning like an idiot :D  
**NYPDanny:** … which I'm NOT, btw!  
**LindsInMT:** not an idiot? or not interested?  
**NYPDanny:** not an idiot. definitely interested!  
**LindsInMT:** good  
**NYPDanny:** good  
**LindsInMT: **well then…  
**LindsInMT:** I should get going  
**NYPDanny:** what?  
**NYPDanny: **why?  
**LindsInMT:** my mom's downstairs getting breakfast ready. I should go help her.  
**NYPDanny:** … ok  
**NYPDanny:** you gonna be around later?  
**NYPDanny:** I got the day off  
**LindsInMT:** sure, maybe. I don't really know what my folks have planned for the day.  
**NYPDanny: **alright, well… catch you later, then  
**LindsInMT:** later gator  
**NYPDanny:** while dile

Lindsay logged out and stared at her computer for a little while, still hugging Panda-rooney close to her chest. Well, she'd done it. She'd told Danny that she wanted to be with him. Holy crap, she'd told Danny she wanted to be with him! Lifting the bear up until she could look him in the face, she asked quietly, "What have I gotten myself into?"

Danny frowned at his computer for a little while. That hadn't gone the way he'd planned it. He was _supposed _to be all caring and thoughtful and _there for her_, but instead he'd just been, y'know, _himself_. Licking his lips, he ran a hand through his hair. She wasn't nearly as happy as he was that they'd figure out they wanted to be together. Here he was, practically bursting at the seams, legs bouncing under his desk because he had so much _energy_ that he just wanted to _do_ something. And there she was, going to go help her mom with breakfast. How did that work, exactly?

Lindsay slowly made her way downstairs to the kitchen, still dressed in her pajamas. "Lindsay!" her mother greeted her in surprise. "I didn't expect to see you up this early!" Lindsay nodded noncommittally back. "Oh, Panda-rooney!" she continued with a definite note of fond remembrance in her voice. "I haven't seen him in _years_." She kept up the small talk as she got her daughter some coffee and juice, then sat down at the table with her and took a careful look at her face. "Sweetie?" she asked. "Do you feel better today?"

"Actually, Mom," Lindsay replied with a tentative smile touching the corners of her mouth. "I think I really do."

Standing up, Danny paced around his living room, replaying the conversation in his head. They hadn't really said that much, had they? Shit. He really needed to stop it with the jokes and flirting and talk to her about shit that _mattered_. Not that finding out that he's hotter than Flack didn't matter. He grinned to himself and his pace turned to a swagger. Man, he could hardly wait to see the look on Don's face when he told him _that_ one. Or maybe he'd just tell him Montana thought he looked like a high school chemistry teacher. Yeah. That'd be way better. Feeling much more cheerful, Danny wandered back to the kitchen. That breakfast thing was sounding like a damned good idea.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: **Damn TPTB and their episodes with a flirty DL. I should either be packing or sleeping or having angry sex with my hot coworker right now (he pissed me off, but he's REALLY good at the sex, so I think I'm just going to use him for my own carnal satisfaction until I leave the country). But nooo. I have to get a brainwave for this story that I was actually going to abandon because episode 3x18 was so incredibly fantabulous that there was no way I could top it. Instead, I'm just going to keep this canonical (My god! This story is potentially canonical!) and write up to, including, and now past the events of 3x18. I'll conclude, I think, with the return to New York. Let's see if I can't get it all sewn up within, say, 4 more chapters. That'd be pretty sweet. I'm posting now and without a beta just because I'm even less patient than Danny is. If you hate it, then it's all on me. Here's hoping you like it enough that you want me to continue :)

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Turning the volume on his speakers all the way up to eleven, Danny dumped his breakfast dishes in the sink and went into his bedroom to strip off the clothes he'd been wearing for more than 24 hours, now. He might have had some pretty crappy sleep, but waking up to those emails and that conversation with his girl … _Holy shit,_ he thought with a stupid grin plastered all over his face, _She's my girl now_ … well, he was pretty much done with sleeping for the foreseeable future.

Leaving the bathroom door open, he reached into the shower and turned the water on to let it heat up and reached for his toothbrush. He continued thinking as he scrubbed his teeth, frowning at himself in the medicine cabinet mirror. _Was_ she his girl? I mean, they'd established mutual interest, but then she'd run off cuz her mom was cooking. And there was all that shit she'd said in that email about wanting to wait. He spat into the sink and grabbed a mouthful of water to rinse. But there was also all that stuff she'd written about making a mistake in the fall. He spat again. And she thought he was hot. He looked at his chest and lower abdomen in the mirror appraisingly and had to admit that she was right about that.

He stepped into the shower and sighed as the hot water ran over his aching muscles. His eyes closed and his head bowed under the steamy spray as he tried to empty his mind and just relax. They were talking things out, now. Getting their shit on the table. He just had to be patient for a little bit longer, that was all.

Chuckling, he shook his head and grabbed for the shampoo. Yeah, cuz patience was something he was good at.

………………………………………………………………..

"Your father and I are heading into town in a bit to do some shopping and maybe get lunch. Did you want to come with?"

Lindsay shook herself out of the daze she'd settled into as she looked out the living room window. "Huh?"

"I said, your father and I are going into town today. Did you want to come with us?" her mother repeated, patiently. Her daughter _seemed_ better than she'd been in the last few days, but she was still concerned about these blank moments she was having. At least her eyes had a bit of their spark back. She winced internally as she recalled the dead look that had been haunting her little girl's face for the past few days.

Lindsay bit her lip and frowned. Going into town meant meeting people. People she knew and who knew her and knew why she was here. They'd want to talk or sympathise or ask her questions. Or maybe they'd just give her those looks. She hated those looks. She'd moved to New York to get away from those looks, and she didn't think she could face them again, right now. "I-I think I'll just stick around the house today, Mom," she said with a tremulous smile. "Maybe take a nap, later."

Her mother looked down at her with an expression of gentle understanding. Brushing a curl behind her daughter's ear, she nodded. "Alright, sweetheart. Is there anything you wanted from Coleman's?"

Lindsay's smile turned genuine as she recalled the many hours of her life she'd spent at the all-purpose store that everyone in town seemed to gather at. It was a cornerstone of her life. She'd seen her first Santa there. Gotten her first "big girl" bike there. Had her first kiss amidst hushed giggling and shy blushes behind the magazine rack in the back corner. "No thanks," she sighed, not unhappily. She'd go back there again before she left Montana, but for now she was content just to remember it.

"You coming with us, kiddo?" her dad asked as he stuck his head around the doorframe and into the living room. "I've got the Monroe-mobile warming up in the drive, and it's ready to take you wherever you want to go." He waggled his eyebrows at her in the way that was always guaranteed to make her smile, in spite of herself.

Laughing at his silliness, Lindsay rolled her eyes at him. "Please tell me you're not still calling that thing the Monroe-mobile?" she pleaded half-heartedly. She loved that beat-up old truck like it was a member of the family. It just wouldn't be the same if he _didn't_ use that ridiculous name for it.

Her father gasped and clutched at his chest melodramatically. "You expect me to call it something _else_?" he asked with pure shock written across his face. "Helen, I don't know who this is, but she's not our daughter!"

"Alright, alright," Lindsay caved, laughing again. "I know when I'm beat!"

"She's going to stay here and guard the place for us, Ted," Helen explained to her husband. "At least until she falls asleep."

"Sleeping in the middle of the day," Ted shook his head in mock-horror. "What are they teaching you out there in _New York City_." Kidding as he was, there was still a small note of distaste in his voice as he spoke the name of his daughter's new home.

"That it's possible to wake up _after_ 5am and go to bed later than 10?" she asked innocently.

Her father muttered something under his breath, almost hiding his smile. "I'll meet you in the truck, hon," he said to his wife, giving his daughter a wave on his way out.

"You're _sure_ you don't want anything?" Helen asked.

"Mom, I'm _fine_," Lindsay reassured her. "Go! Do your shopping! Eat out! I'll see you when you get back. **Really**," she insisted as she noticed her mother hesitate on her way out the door. "Now get out there before he starts…"

BEEP! BEEPBEEPBEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!

"… nevermind."

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Sonofa**bitch**!" Danny cursed. Grabbing a small square of toilet paper, he stuck it to the gash on his face where he'd cut himself with his razor. Hanging onto the towel hitched around his waist, he darted out of the bathroom and skidding across the wood floor of his living room until he came to a mostly-vertical stop in front of his computer desk.

**LindsInMT:** still there?

He offered up a quick, silent prayer of thanks that he'd thought to turn up his speakers so that he could hear her if she messaged him again. Of course, it'd be better if it hadn't been so loud that he damn near jumped through the ceiling when it beeped. Securing his towel once more and self-consciously (and painfully) tearing the toilet paper off of his face, he settled down into his desk chair to talk to the woman who might possibly be his.

Okay, he needed to work on that name.

Later, though. He was busy just now.

**NYPDanny:** you know it :D  
**NYPDanny:** how was breakfast?  
**LindsInMT:** She made waffles. I'm being spoiled rotten.  
**NYPDanny:** that's what moms are for, right? Mine'd still do my laundry for me if I'd let her.  
**LindsInMT:** …  
**LindsInMT:**_please_ tell me you're kidding  
**NYPDanny:** ((whistles))  
**NYPDanny:** so, what're ya up to today?  
**LindsInMT:** just hanging around the house, mostly. I'll probably take a nap later to make up for last night.  
**LindsInMT:** (nice change of topic, but don't think I'm going to forget that little tidbit of information!)  
**NYPDanny: **yeah, I hear ya on the nap thing  
**LindsInMT: **2 hours is not enough sleep  
**NYPDanny:** (any chance I can bribe you?)  
**NYPDanny:** sleeping at a desk ain't exactly a picnic, either  
**LindsInMT: **I can't be bought. … but I -can- be rented ;) And I'm pretty sure you already warned me about the dangers of sleeping at a desk, once today  
**NYPDanny:** rented, eh? There something I should be telling Flack about you, there, Montana? ;)  
**LindsInMT: **you mean besides the fact that he looks like a high school chemistry teacher?  
**NYPDanny:** … you know me too well  
**LindsInMT:** the confusing part is that I still like you ;)  
**NYPDanny:** ((hides his book on hypnotism))  
**LindsInMT:** ((watches the pretty gold watch sway back and forth in front of her eyes))  
**NYPDanny: **you are feeling verrrrry sleeeeeepyyyy  
**LindsInMT: **ZZZzzzzz….  
**NYPDanny: **noooot thaaaaat sleeeeepyyyyy  
**LindsInMT: **((snorts and rolls over))  
**NYPDanny:** yeah, that's attractive :P  
**LindsInMT:** this from a guy who inhales a slice of pizza in two bites?  
**NYPDanny:** that's a legitimate talent!  
**LindsInMT:** …  
**LindsInMT:** so what's the bribe?  
**NYPDanny:** huh?  
**NYPDanny:** ohhhh right!  
**NYPDanny: **hmmm…  
**LindsInMT: **((drums her fingernails))  
**NYPDanny: **lemme think for a minute! Eesh :P  
**NYPDanny: **well, after that pizza comment, I'm guessing Mario's won't do it, eh?  
**LindsInMT:** you got that right  
**NYPDanny:** a cash prize of some sort?  
**LindsInMT:** is this a game show? Is Monty going to tell me to come on down? ;)  
**NYPDanny:** you're sure as hell not getting A NEW CAAAARRRR! outta this :P  
**LindsInMT:** aw shucks, and I really -wanted- to be able to -drive- in NYC :P  
**NYPDanny:** point.  
**NYPDanny: **((sighs)) I guess that just leaves me with the sex  
**LindsInMT: **… what sex?  
**NYPDanny:** the really hot "Danny Messer, sex god extraordinaire!!" sex  
**LindsInMT:** … how much cash are we talking here?  
**NYPDanny:** …  
**NYPDanny:** you're a real laugh riot, you know that Montana?  
**LindsInMT:** I actually -do- know that, yes :D  
**LindsInMT: **gimme a sec, I'll be right back  
_LindsInMT may not reply because his or her status is set to Away._

Danny tapped his fingers impatiently against his keyboard as his foot bounced energetically under the desk. Okay, we were just joking around. That doesn't mean that she doesn't want the sex, it just means that she isn't coming right out and saying that she **does** want it, that's all. No need to panic, Messer. She thinks you're hot. Just bide your time.

The tapping increased in speed and strength as the minutes dragged by. Clenching his teeth in an effort to stop himself from doing something stupid, he eventually had to give in.

**NYPDanny:** I'm getting kinda tired with all of this typing, and my desk chair really isn't all that comfortable. How about I just give you a call and we can talk?

Pressing enter, he went right back to his nervous tapping. What the hell was she doing that took so long, anyway?

Lindsay came back from her trip to the bathroom and the kitchen and almost dropped her bowl of popcorn as she read the words that had appeared on the screen in her absence. He wanted to call her? She sank down onto the window seat and reached blindly for Panda-rooney. This was a moment when a girl definitely needed her bear.


	10. Chapter 10

"Okay," Lindsay breathed deeply. "_Okay._" Lifting Panda-rooney up in her arms, she stared him determinedly in the face. "I can _do_ this." She nodded to the stuffed bear and bit her lip. "It's just Danny, right? We talk all the time in New York, don't we? This won't be any different, will it?" She worried her lip a bit more with her teeth and took another steadying breath before reaching for her phone.

Danny was too impatient to wait around for her message, so he just turned his speakers back up (though not as loud as before) and went to his room to get dressed. Sitting around in a towel got kinda drafty after a while. He'd pulled on his boxers and was just stepping into some jeans when his phone rang. In his haste to answer it, he pulled up on the waistband before his foot was completely inserted into the leg hole of the garment, and he ended up falling flat on his ass with his jeans tangled up in knots around his ankles. He kicked futilely for a moment before giving up and crawling over to the phone on his bedside table.

"Messer," he panted into the phone, collapsing back against the side of his bed.

"Danny?" came the familiar voice on the other end of the line. "Are you alright?"

Lindsay wrinkled her nose and squinted at the receiver as she listened to the laboured breathing coming through the phone. She'd been gone all of about five minutes. How had he had time to run a marathon?

"Lindsay!" he gasped, still trying to catch his breath. "Hey! You called!" He tried to keep the relief out of his voice, but couldn't stop the grin from spreading across his face. He hadn't figured she'd say yes to his phone proposition.

"I'm not…" she cleared her throat delicately and closed her eyes in an attempt to avoid the mental image this question was likely to call up. "I'm not … interrupting … anything, am I?" Holding her breath, she squeezed Panda-rooney tight against her and tried to stay calm.

Danny held the phone against his shoulder with his ear and reached down to untangle himself from his jeans, grunting a bit at the exertion. "Interruptin'? It's like … I dunno, 9:30 in the mornin' or somethin' like that. What'd ya be interruptin'?" He let out a relieved sigh as he finally obtained his freedom.

"Well, there _was_ that mention of the hot, hot Messer sex, before…" Lindsay began, allowing her mind to consider the possibility of taking him up on that offer. She just as quickly dismissed it. Having a crush on him was one thing. Sleeping with him for real was something else entirely.

Danny's jaw worked up and down for a moment as he started to realize what his grunting and panting and sighing must have sounded like over the phone. "Ya really think I'm gonna do somethin' like that while I'm IMin' with someone, Montana?" he chuckled a bit at the mental image. "I have a hard enough time typin' already." He cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair, self-consciously. This sensitive, romantic shit was just … _unnatural_. Still, he had to give it a shot. "Besides, that offer was limited to residents and former residents of the state of Montana."

Lindsay's face lit up with a shy smile. Sometimes, he really surprised her. "That seems like an awful waste of your talents, Messer," she teased. "Limiting yourself to people who live halfway across the country like that." Her heart was beating a bit faster, now. It seems those rumours of him turning down other women were true. And here she'd thought that Stella was just making that up as a way to make her believe that he cared.

Danny swallowed to moisten his dry throat. What the hell? Next thing, his palms'd be sweaty and his voice'd crack or some shit like that. This wasn't the cool Danny Messer that made the chicks melt. This was… I dunno… Horshack or something. Time to get back to Vinnie Barbarino. "Hey, I _said_ former residents, too," he said with a sexy grin on his face. She couldn't _see_ it, but he bet she could _hear_ it.

Oh god, he was grinning at her. She just knew it. "You know a lot of former residents of Montana, do you?"

"Just one."

"_Lindsay!_" came a call from downstairs. Lindsay covered her cheek with her hand, wondering how pink she was blushing just now. There was no way she wanted her sister to see her while she was A) neon and B) talking on the phone to Danny. Crap, crap, crap. Worst timing ever.

"I'm-really-sorry-but-I-have-to-go-but-I'll-call-you-later-and-I'm-sorry-okay?" she hurriedly whispered into the receiver. She could hear her sister calling her name again from the bottom of the stairs.

"What?" Danny frowned in consternation. He was being smooth and romantic. Didn't chicks _like_ guys who were smooth and romantic? Should he _stop_ being smooth and romantic?

"My-sister's-here-gottagobye!" Lindsay said in a rush as she hung up the cordless phone and threw it across the room to land on her bed. She quickly repositioned herself on the window seat so that it looked like she was lost in thought looking out the window.

"_Lindsay!_" Erin sighed in frustration as she entered her older sister's room. "_There_ you are! Didn't you hear me yelling?"

"Hmm?" Lindsay looked up, apparently dragging herself out of her reverie. "Oh hi, Erin." she smiled. "When did you get here?"

The younger woman sighed and rolled her eyes, apologizing to several bears as she removed them from the window seat and curled up next to her sister. "How are you holding up, Linds?" she asked with some concern, pulling her sister into a hug and kissing the top of her curly head.

"I'm doing alright… for now," Lindsay smiled weakly. "I don't know how long it'll last, but for now I'm… okay."

"Good. I'm glad." They sat together in companionable silence for a moment before Erin broke the moment. "NYPDanny, eh?" she asked, motioning towards Lindsay's still-open laptop. She leaned forward, holding Lindsay behind her back to keep her from hiding the screen. "Sex-god extraordinaire?! **Why** am I just learning about this **now**?"

Lindsay tried desperately to crawl over her sister's back to get to the laptop, but Erin jumped up and grabbed the computer, using her height advantage to hold it out of Lindsay's reach. "Give it back, now!" the old girl demanded, stomping her foot like she used to when they were kids.

Erin grinned mischievously. "Does **Mom** know you're IMing with a sex god?" she asked in the same tone of voice she'd used when enquiring whether or not their parents knew about her kissing Evan Simons behind the magazines in Coleman's store.

"Erin Catherine Monroe, you give me that computer back, _this instant_," Lindsay admonished, attempting her best 'mom' face.

"Does that work on suspects?" Erin asked curiously, now paging through the IM conversation while holding the computer above her head.

"Pleeeeease?" Lindsay pleaded, desperately.

"Oh, alright," she relented, passing the laptop back to her sister who immediately shut it down. "But I want to know everything about this Danny guy. And I mean _everything._"

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Danny grumbled about siblings as he finished getting dressed. God knew he understood the problems inherent in not being an only child, but c'mon! They were just really starting to get somewhere, and then boom! Sister. Shaking his head in frustration, he forwarded his home phone to his cell in case she called again and went out to do errands. Women could talk _forever_, he knew, and sisters could talk even longer. He might as well get shit done while he was waiting.

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Ted and Helen came back from town to find their two children sitting in the living room drinking coffee and eating all of the cookies in the house. Apparently, they'd already made it through all of the ice cream.

"Rinny!" their father called out happily, holding his arms wide for his youngest to give him a tacklehug.

"Hi Daddy! Mom! Glad to see me?" she grinned as she moved to hug her mother hello.

"You know I love it when I have my Rinny and Linny together at home!" Ted enthused. "This calls for a celebration! Helen, do we have any steaks in the freezer?"

Sighing at her husband's predictability, she smiled and nodded. "I took four out this morning when Erin called to tell me she was coming."

Clapping his hands together enthusiastically, Ted fairly sprinted out of the room. "I'm gonna go warm up the barbecue!"

"Thanks for coming, sweetie," Helen whispered into her younger daughter's ear. "She really needs you just now."

"I know, Mom," Erin whispered back. "I know."

**Author's Note:** I know a lot of you were expecting phone sex, but this just isn't that kind of story. Wow. Did I just say that? Weird. Oh, and I'm sorry about all of the author-created characters. They just keep popping up, and I can't seem to stop them!


	11. Chapter 11

Danny sighed as he unpacked his groceries and put them away. He'd had time to get his dry-cleaning, pick up batteries for his TV remote, and go grocery shopping and she _still_ hadn't called back. Sometimes he really wondered how much of this shit he could take. But then he remembered the way he could make her face light up sometimes, and it was all worth it.

After about ten minutes of flipping through channels and seeing nothing much that he wanted to watch, he sat down at his computer, again. The machine was getting a _lot_ more use of late, he had to admit. Brushing his hands over his cheeks and rubbing the back of his neck, he figured he might as well go back to what seemed to work best for them.

**From: Danny Messer  
To: Lindsay Monroe  
Subject: siblings**

Hey Montana,

I'm sorry you had to hang up like that earlier. We were just  
really starting to get interesting, there. You don't even know  
who the former Montana resident is that I want to limit my  
talents to.

So you have a sister, do ya? I don't think I knew that. She  
older or younger than you? Any other siblings I don't know  
about? It seems kinda weird that I didn't know about her  
what with knowing you for a year and a half, now. It makes  
me wonder what else I don't know about you.

I figured I'd go back to the email thing because there's no  
chance of this getting interrupted. Not that I mind being  
interrupted or anything. I just…

Okay, yeah, I kinda do mind being interrupted.

Anyway, I been trying all day to talk to you about the  
important stuff, but every time I talk to you, all I can get  
out is a bunch of jokes. I _want_ to be the guy you can tell  
stuff to, but I don't really have any practice with it. Help a  
guy out, willya?

Danny

PS. You're the only Montana I want. I just wanna be clear  
on that.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

**From: Lindsay Monroe  
To: Danny Messer  
Subject: actually…**

Hey you,

I'm sorry I didn't call you back all day. Erin (that's my kid  
sister) and I ended up talking for a couple of hours because  
we haven't seen each other since I moved to New York.  
Then my folks got home and Dad had to make a special  
dinner because he had his two little girls at home. And then  
Tom (one of my older brothers) and his wife came over from  
their farm, and well…

You know how I was planning on having a nap sometime  
today? Well, it's just after midnight now and I'm finally  
getting around to it.

So let's see. You know about Erin and Tom, so that just  
leaves Jamie and Jason (they're twins). Tom's the oldest at  
34. The twins are 31, then there's me, and Erin's 26. It was  
_not_ the world's quietest house in which to grow up, but I  
wouldn't change it for the world. I don't know what I'd do  
without them, really. I just wish that the twins could be here.  
They're in the armed forces, stationed overseas. One more  
worry to keep me up at night.

I know what you mean when you say that this is an easier  
way to talk about things. After all of the joking around and  
stuff that we do at work, I sort of default to that when we  
talk in "real time." And I'm definitely going to have more to  
talk about, soon.The trial's due to start up again on Monday.  
Apparently, his lawyer finally convinced him to apologize to  
the judge, so I'm going to take the stand again after the  
weekend.

Do you really think I can do this?

L

PS. You don't have to want this Montana. She's already yours.

**Author's Note:** This chapter seemed a LOT longer when I was writing it. Probably because of the spacing. Anyway, I know that you're probably all disappointed that I brought things back to email, but I'm trying to set things up here, and when I get the two of them in a normal conversation, I just can't stop them from flirting. It's impossible for me to write them un-flirty. I've tried, and I fail miserably, every time. As such, I have to keep them nicely separated so that they can each say their piece and get it over with and the other one won't get them all off track. Depending on how out-of-control they get on me, I'm thinking I can get this wrapped up in another... 2 chapters? Maybe? Of course, I'm also considering a sequel because I have all sorts of fluffy ideas for it :)


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note:** I'm speeding up time here and having episodes 17 and 18 mildly overlapping. Danny was working a double at the start of Sleight Out Of Hand, and I'm just going to make it the Noah case that he was working. Why? Because I can.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Secondary call could go and suck his cock. Danny's head fell back as he reached for the pager he kept on his belt. Fuck. Just what he wanted. He had court in the morning. Like he _really_ wanted to go and see what Flack had managed to dig up for him to look at. Sighing, he turned off the stove and grabbed some Tupperware for his primavera. Looked like he was getting drive through for dinner. Fantastic. With a sour expression on his face, he grabbed his jacket and his keys and headed out the door. Whatever this case was, he sure hoped it was interesting.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

**From: Danny Messer  
To: Lindsay Monroe  
Subject: Armageddon**

Hey Montana,

How's my girl doing? You alright? Need me to come out  
there and kick a little inmate ass for you or anything? Just  
say the word.

So here's a question for you. You remember when we first  
met? You, me, Mac, and a certain occupant of the Central  
Park Zoo? Well, I think I met his cousin. Plus about 50  
other members of the animal kingdom, 8 religious freaks,  
and a corpse. It's been a pretty busy night.

Watch out for rain on Sunday. Apparently, it's Flood season.

Yeah, as in Noah. That's the dude's name. He even has an  
Ark, can you believe that?

Sounds like you've got a pretty good support system going  
on at home. I'm really glad to hear that. Also, five kids? How  
much do your folks love each other, eh? Man. And I thought  
_Italians_ were supposed to have big families. You're putting  
my Ma to shame, here.

I don't _think_ you can do this, Montana. I **know** it. You've  
been kicking ass and taking names since the first day I met  
you. You're gonna go in that courtroom. You're gonna say  
your piece. You're gonna tell the jury exactly what kinda  
guy he is and what he did, and they're gonna hear it. Boom.  
He's done. End of story.

And then you're gonna come back to NY so I can buy you  
some pizza that doesn't suck. Am I right?

Anyway, it's like 3am in the goddamned morning now, and  
I've got court at 9. I'm gonna go pass out and see if I can't be  
all smart and shit for the lawyers. I should be done by noon  
if you want to call me or anything.

D

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"…Mom?" Lindsay asked, looking around the kitchen, warily.

"Yes, honey?" Helen answered distractedly, wiping her nose and unconsciously smearing it with flour as she peered at an old, stained cookbook.

"…Why are you cooking enough food to feed the entire state?"

Erin entered the kitchen, followed closely by Ted. Both of them were loaded down with grocery bags and looking run rather ragged. "It's about time you got up!" Erin grunted in exasperation. "Since when did a Monroe kid get to sleep in when there was work to be done?" With a heave, she deposited her bags on the counter and shook the feeling back into her arms and hands. "I always knew you were the favourite." Her voice was still annoyed, but she winked at her older sister behind her father's back to let her know that she was kidding.

"We don't _have_ favourites in this family!" Ted declared loudly. He then moved quietly behind his youngest daughter and tickled her ribs. "But if we did, it'd be _you_. Everyone loves a baby, after all." Bringing a bag over to his wife, he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and kissed her on the cheek. "Isn't that right, dear?"

"Hmm?" Helen asked, still not really paying attention to anyone. "Oh Ted, did you get the apples?" Not waiting for an answer, she started going through the bag next to her, triumphantly surfacing with a bag of russets. "Perfect! Who wants to peel?"

Lindsay grabbed the apples and a paring knife, sitting down on a stool at the counter and starting to methodically rid each apple of its skin. "Why exactly am I peeling apples, again?" she tried once more.

"For the pies, of course," her mother replied as if it were perfectly obvious.

"Oh." Lindsay peeled for a few moments, brow furrowed in concentration as she tried to finish the apple in one long rope of skin. "Wait, pie**s**?" She looked with narrowed eyes, suddenly suspicious. "How many pies are you making?"

"Let's see," Helen counted while smacking Erin's hand to keep her from eating any of the cinnamon and brown sugar mixture she had waiting in a bowl on the counter. "Six apple, three blueberry, three rhubarb, and four pumpkin." She nodded and returned to her pastry.

"**Sixteen**?" Lindsay asked, horror flowing over her entire body. She stared at her sister with a look of fear that seldom ever saw on her face. "Oh god. No. No no no. **No**." She put down the apple and knife that she had been holding and pushed herself away from the table, shaking her head in denial.

"Oh **yes**," Erin grinned evilly and waggled her eyebrows. "Yes, yes, **yes**."

**From: Lindsay Monroe  
To: Danny Messer  
Subject: lions and tigers and bears, oh my!**

Hey Tiger,

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

I do indeed remember meeting you for the first time. You  
didn't make the best first impression ever, what with telling  
me to call Mac "sir" and all. And I hate to admit it, but your  
accent was a bit… much, right at first. Of course, I love it to  
bits _now_, but back then? Not so much.

Note to self: buy an umbrella tomorrow.

You're not the only one with an early morning tomorrow.  
The whole Monroe clan is gathering together tomorrow since  
I'll be going back to New York at the end of next week.  
(unless the trial extends even further, but I doubt that it will)  
This means it's the last chance for all of my aunts and uncles  
and cousins and grandparents to grill me about moving to  
New York and tell me that I'm looking too thin or too fat or  
too tired. After which, of course, I'll be informed that if I only  
had a husband, I'd be happy and healthy and well-rested. I  
love my family, but they do tend to do those well-meaning  
yet incredibly-annoying things that all other families do.

They all want to come to the courthouse on Monday to  
support me, but I really don't think that the Bozeman  
courthouse is big enough for the entire Monroe family. You  
think _five_ kids is a lot? You should see some of my cousins'  
families. My Aunt Elizabeth has nine kids. _Nine._ I swear,  
we're single-handedly populating the state of Montana. I had  
to move away because I'm _related_ to all of the eligible men  
around here.

My parents, Erin, Tom, and Celia (Tom's wife) will all come  
with me, but the rest of the brood is going to have to wait  
outside or at home to hear the verdict. I'm pretty sure that I  
don't even want my immediate family there because they  
haven't heard all of the details before, but I need _someone_,  
you know? And maybe if they _do_ know what happened,  
they'll understand why I've never been able to talk about it  
before.

Anyway, with all of the family that will be around tomorrow,  
I don't think I'll be able to call until rather late. Are you on  
nights this week? Or were you just on call last night?

L

PS. I wouldn't object to you kicking some inmate ass, as you  
suggested, but I doubt that Mac'd let you out of the city while  
I'm already on leave. It's too bad, really. You could totally  
take this guy.


	13. Chapter 13

**Friday**

Danny struggled awake to the sound of his alarm clock. It had been beeping at him for the last half hour and he hadn't even had the energy to hit snooze. Fuck, he hated court. Wiping a strong hand slowly over his face, he cleared the dust from the corners of his eyes and swiped his alarm off. Staring myopically up at the ceiling, he allowed his mind to wander. The whole Monroe clan. From the sounds of it, that was an _assload_ of people, too. A grand jury was probably a walk in the park compared to what Montana was gonna go through today. All he had to deal with were prosecutors and judges. She had to deal with grandmothers. With a shudder and a groan of protest, he levered himself out of bed and dragged his sorry as to the bathroom for a shower. Time to get this shit-ass day started.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Lindsay struggled against her sister as the younger woman jumped up and down on her in her bed. Erin's patented wake-up call was one thing she definitely _didn't_ miss about Bozeman.

"Where are those girls of yours, Helen?" came a stern but loving voice from the bottom of the stairs. Grams. A wonderfully kind and generous little old lady who could teach Flack a thing or two about interrogation. Lindsay shuddered. Those interrogations were _another_ thing she didn't miss, at all.

"Hide me," she groaned, rolling over and burying her head underneath her pillow.

"We're up here, Grams!" Erin called down cheerfully. "No chance in hell," she grinned at her big sister, smacking her on the ass and vaulting off of the bed to give her grandmother a huge hug as she entered the room.

"Lindsay!" Grams shouted, unconsciously echoing her granddaughter's action as she slapped Lindsay's behind to rouse her. "What are you doing still in bed? The sun's shining! There's work to be done! Get up, girl!"

Abandoning her hopes, Lindsay lifted her head and gave her grandmother a wan smile. "Hi Grams," she greeted the old woman. "You're looking well."

"And you're looking like you haven't had a good meal since you moved to New York! Get out of bed and let me look at you!"

Lindsay sighed and obeyed. She loved her family. She loved her family. She loved her family.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Messer!" a voice shouted behind him as Danny was leaving the courthouse. He turned and saw Terry Ransom running down the hallway toward him, looking rather desperate.

"Hey, Terry. What's up?" he gave the other man a minute to catch his breath and looked casually at his watch. He wasn't due at the lab til four. If he left right now, he could get back home and sleep for a couple of hours before work.

"I'm glad I found you, man," Ransom panted, placing a hand on Danny's shoulder to steady himself as he took a few more deep breaths. "You've gotta do me a favour!"

Danny groaned internally. Shit. There goes that sleep idea. "What favour do I gotta do?"

"You're on that Noah case, right? The guy with the Ark?"

"Yeah. What about it?"

"I need you to talk to the judge about the phone records from the plane."

"The what now?"

"Flack told me you needed to search the phone records from the flight your guy took when he left New Orleans."

"… Okay, sure. So why do you need me?"

"The airline is protesting. Judge wants to talk to someone on the case, ASAP."

Sighing, Danny clapped the lawyer on the shoulder and let himself be lead to the judge's chambers. Some days, this really _wasn't_ the coolest job ever.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

"She looks thin."

"Are you kidding? I swear, she's put on at _least_ ten pounds since she left. Maybe twenty."

"She probably eats out too much. What's the point of cooking if you're only feeding one?"

"Too true."

"You know, my friend Trudy has a son out in Brooklyn. Maybe I could…"

"Yes! I'm sure they'd hit it right off."

Lindsay backed slowly out of the living room and back into the kitchen. The Aunts were out in full force, today. And in top form, as well, by the sounds of it.

"Hey kiddo," came a gruff voice from behind her at the same time as a pair of weathered hands poked her in the ribs and made her squeal. "Hiding out?"

"Grandpa!" Lindsay cried, her face breaking out into a huge smile. She threw her arms around his neck and gave him a huge hug. He was always willing to act as a human shield for her against his daughters and daughers-in-law.

"How's my little Linny doing?" he asked, holding her at arms' length and looking at her critically. "You're not sleeping enough, are you?" Pulling her in for another hug, he answered his own question. "No wonder, considering what you're going through." He patted her head, comfortingly. "Don't you worry your pretty little head, Linny. I'll make sure my girls aren't too hard on you."

"Thanks, Grandpa," Lindsay smiled. She hugged him again and inhaled the soothing scents of his aftershave and the pipe that Grandma never let him smoke inside. Reaching into his pocket, she took out a mint and popped it into her mouth.

"Ready, kiddo?" he asked, picking up a tray of food.

"Ready," she nodded with a determined look. She loved her family. She loved her family.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

**Saturday**

Day two of the Monroe family reunion was well underway when Lindsay was finally able to escape long enough to check her email with no one watching. She was disappointed to see that there was nothing there from her favourite New Yorker. She listlessly typed formulaic replies to Stella and Hawkes, making a mental note to read Adam's gossip-filled letter later when she could both make sense of his incredibly convoluted sentences and take the time to properly appreciate the information being given.

Biting her lip, she decided that she really couldn't remain missing for much longer. She debated internally for a few moments before deciding that she didn't really care that it'd be expensive. Taking out her cell phone, she quickly pounded out a message and hit send. With one last deep breath, she plastered a smile on her face and returned to the backyard. Maybe if she joined in the soccer game the younger cousins were playing, she could avoid being set up with Trudy's son a little longer.

She really _did_ love her family.

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Danny finally wrapped up the last of the paperwork on the Noah case at a little after midnight. Breathing a sigh of relief, he rolled his head around and listened to his neck snap and crackle as he tried to work out some of the kinks in it. He stopped with his head tilted right back, and his mouth fell open in a yawn. Coffee. He definitely needed coffee if he were even going to _attempt_ to get home under his own power.

In the break room, he poured himself a large mug full of the magical liquid and took a careful sip. Holy fucking shit. Gagging, he rushed over to the sink and spit it all out, wiping his tongue with his fingers and scraping it along his upper teeth. Whatever the fuck that shit was, it sure as _hell_ wasn't coffee. At least, not anymore. He poured the rest of the carafe down the drain and rinsed it out to make a new pot. Figures. He stared at the empty cupboard in front of him and sighed, shaking his head. Taking off his glasses and wiping his eyes with the heels of his hands, he lay down on the couch to get some sleep. He was on primary call tonight. He'd probably have to go out in an hour, anyway.

He'd just rest his eyes for a few minutes, then he'd go and email Montana and check the call sheet. That SMS she'd sent earlier. _I miss you._ Man, if he hadn't been talking to a suspect, he'd have run to the airport and hopped a plane. It was driving him nuts, knowing that she needed him and knowing that he couldn't be there for her. So he'd do what he could. He'd email her and let her know just how much he missed her, too. But he wanted to be coherent when he did it, so he'd rest his eyes. Just for a few minutes.

Just a few minutes…

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

**Sunday**

"Mmhmm?"

"Montana, that you?"

"Daa," she yawned. "aanny? Is that you?" turning over in bed, she looked at the clock. It was just after 1am. "Why are you calling in the middle of the night?" She yawned again and scratched a hand through her thick, curly hair.

"Look, I can't talk long. I'm at a scene. I just wanted to tell ya that I miss you like crazy, over here. I wanna make sure that you know that."

"Really?" Lindsay mentally kicked herself for the breathlessness in her voice. She hoped he just passed it off as another yawn.

"Shit, this ain't how I wanted to do this, but I been working doubles all weekend, and I'm on this weird-ass case where a chick got sawed in half, and I ain't gonna have time to email ya or anything like that, and I just wanted you to know how I feel."

Lindsay blinked. For Danny, that was a lot of words. "… wow. Okay, then."

"Y'alright, there, Montana?" he asked, and she could hear the amusement in his voice. She could also hear the strain.

"Much better. _Now_." She bit her lip as she felt her face flush.

"Alright." She pictured him nodding his head and licking his lips, arms crossed in front of his chest the way he often talked on the phone. "Alright, good. Well. I just wanted to tell ya that, so I guess I'm done, now."

"Goodnight, Danny," Lindsay chuckled softly. "And Danny?" she rushed before he could hang up.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

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**Author's Note:** That's right, folks. We have here the beginnings of 3x18. Woo! I was going to try to push through it all in this chapter, but it's just not going to happen. I was going to have this be Saturday/Sunday/Monday, but since I have no idea if grand juries meet on Saturdays (I doubt it), I figured I'd better add an extra day into my personal timeline of events. One more chapter, and I'm d-o-n-e, DONE!


	14. Chapter 14

Sunday passed in a blur of family and nerves. Lindsay grew increasingly withdrawn as the day progressed, dreading more and more what she'd have to do the next day. By the time evening came, she was holed up in her room, sitting on her bed with her back against the wall. Panda-rooney and her favourite pillow were held in the crushing grip of her arms and the rest of her stuffed animals were placed around her in a kind of surrounding fortification. When Erin came in, she was surprised to note that teddy bears could look kind of stern, given the proper lighting and circumstances.

Not saying a word, she carefully displaced Paddington, CheerBear, and a lime green iguana that had been won at a fair and subsequently christened, "Lucky." Snuggling up to her big sister, she wrapped her arms around her and cradled her head against her shoulder. Lindsay shook and sobbed against her sister's shoulder as Erin hushed her and crooned an old lullabye that their mother used to sing to them as children.

"Let it out, honey," she whispered, running a gentle hand up and down Lindsay's arm and back. "Let it all out."

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Sunday passed in a blur of work and exhaustion. Danny grew increasingly frustrated as the day progressed, wishing more and more that he could be there for Lindsay in her time of need. By the time evening came, he was alternately falling asleep at his desk or cursing inanimate objects for his own inability to operate them.

Finally giving up, he headed to the locker rooms in the hopes that a shower and a change of clothes might clear his head. He'd had no more than 4 hours of sleep in the past two or three nights, and it was definitely catching up to him. But with the team down a CSI because of Lindsay's trip to Montana, everyone had to step up. He was just stepping up more than most, was all.

Work kept him busy and stopped him from obsessing over not being in Montana. Well, it kept him busy anyway.

He swallowed a mouthful of water and spit it down the drain as he rinsed the shampoo out of his hair. But damn did his gut ever tell him that he should be in that courtroom for her. His gut and every other part of him. He should call her and see how she was doing.

It was as he was doing up the fly on his jeans that he noticed the message light flashing on his cell. He'd missed a call while he was in the shower. Punching in his PIN, he felt a stab in his gut as he heard the voice on the recording.

"Danny?" Lindsay sniffled. He could hear her trying to choke back her sobs. "I can't do it, Danny," she whimpered. "I can't sit there in that courtroom and face him." He clenched his fist over and over again as he listened to her break down and then try to regain control. "I'm so scared," she whispered in a voice that was so quiet he could barely hear it. He punched the locker in front of him, jaw contracting over and over again with the need to yell, but he couldn't say anything as long as he was listening to her cry. She was crying and he wasn't there for her. God fucking damnit, why hadn't he brought his phone into the shower room with him?

"Um. Hi? Uh, Danny?" a new voice took over. He could still hear Lindsay crying, but it was fainter now. Background noise. "This is Erin. I'm Lindsay's sister? Sorry to barge in like this, but… Well, she's…" he heard a particularly loud wail and then the sound of this new woman comforting his Lindsay. "I wanted to tell you that I'm taking care of her. She's not alone in this." He sat down on one of the benches. "We're all looking out for her." He stood up and started pacing back and forth. "Anyway, I'm going to put her to bed, now." He punched the locker again. Damnit, _he wanted to talk to Lindsay!_ He was so frustrated, he barely heard her recite the phone number that he'd memorized as soon as he'd found it in the Montana state DMV records.

Hanging up, he abandoned all thoughts of sleep. He was too keyed up, now. He'd just go back to work.

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Monday morning dawned bleak and dreary. Lindsay raised her head from her pillow with a groan. Her head was pounding and her mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton. Putting a hand to her face to wipe her eyes, she noticed that her cheeks were still sticky with dried tears. No doubt her eyes were puffy and red from crying. She rolled over and saw her sister sitting curled up in the corner of her bed between the headboard and the wall. Erin had stayed up half the night talking to her older sister and making sure that she was taken care of. Lindsay mentally thanked her as she gently pushed her to lie down in the bed and pulled a cover over her.

Steeling herself to face the day, Lindsay began to get ready.

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Danny woke with a start, sitting straight up and immediately regretting it. Hadn't he just learned that sleeping at a desk was a painful, painful thing to do? What kind of an idiot _was_ he, anyway? Moving more slowly now to ease the ache in his shoulders and lower back, he wiggled the mouse on his computer and glanced at the clock. _Shit_.

"Stella!" he called as he pushed his way groggily into her office. He leaned on the door for support and blinked a few more times to get his eyes to focus properly. Noticing that Stella was hanging up the phone, he apologized. "Oh, am I interruptin'?"

"Uh, no, no. I was uh… I uh… I was just talking to Lindsay," she awkwardly explained.

Fucking goddamned piece of shit-ass fucking luck that was. Why'd he have to fucking forward his phone to Stella's when he was working in the print lab, earlier? Why for fuck's sakes didn't he fucking put it fucking back when he got back to his fucking office?

Out loud, he merely crossed his arms in an appearance of casual interest. "Oh really?"

"Yeah," Stella replied, sighing and shaking her head. "She doesn't sound quite the same."

No fucking shit. She's just gonna go into a room with a psycho dickwad who offed half her friends and almost did her, too, is all. You weren't exactly sunshine and roses after that whole thing with Frankie, now were you? He made a noncommittal noise and frowned, closing his eyes and trying desperately to stay awake. He couldn't fall asleep, now. There was too much to do.

"She'll be alright," Stella reassured him, not really knowing what she was talking about. "Said to say hello."

Danny nodded, half-smiling at the idea. Even when she was in the middle of a fucking mental breakdown, Montana was still polite. Get a load of that, would ya?

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Lindsay sat still in the front row of the courthouse. Her mother had given her a tissue earlier, in case she felt herself needing to cry again, and she'd been twisting it over and over in her hands so much that it was now a shredded mess. Helen looked over at her daughter's lap and patted the nervously fidgeting hands there. Taking the ruined tissue from her, she replaced it with a fresh one and gave her little girl a bracing smile.

"I'm _so_ proud of you, Linny," she whispered, pulling her daughter close and kissing her forehead. "So, _so_ proud."

Her father reached over from the other side and took her limp hand in his large, strong one. He didn't need to say a thing. He just let her take his strength into herself.

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Danny pushed himself to work through the day, despite numerous people telling him to go home and sleep. If he went home, though, he knew that he'd just lay awake waiting for Lindsay to call or email or IM or anything. Home was a torture of nothing to do. At least at work he could fill the hours while he waited to hear from her. Waited for her to tell him that she'd done it and she was okay.

Finally, he could wait no longer and he ducked into his office and called her house.

"Hello?" came a gruff man's voice. He sounded like he was _not_ in the best humour. This was definitely not a man to joke around with, which was fine by Danny since he wasn't in the best mood, either.

"Yeah, hi. Listen, is Lindsay there?"

"Goddamned reporters," the older man cursed. "Stop calling here! You can't talk to her!"

Danny stared at the phone with his eyebrows raised. The dialtone droned at him until he hung up, but he immediately dialed again.

"Hello?"

"I ain't a reporter, alright? So don't hang up."

"Who is this?" Ted asked suspiciously.

"My name's Danny Messer. I work with Lindsay in New York."

"Did you say Danny?"

"Yes, sir."

"Hold on. I'll get her."

Danny licked his lips and got up to pace his office as he waited seemingly forever for her to come to the phone.

"Danny?"

"I tried your cell, but you didn't answer, so…"

"My battery died."

"How are… how was… " he cleared his throat and tried again. "Y'alright, Montana?"

Lindsay took a shaky breath and nodded, then realized that he couldn't see that. "Sure," she said with that fake-cheerful voice that didn't fool anyone.

"What happened?" Danny asked, concern permeating his voice.

"I… I couldn't do it, Danny," she whispered, her voice ragged. "I couldn't face him. I couldn't…" her breath shook again as she inhaled and a whimper broke through before she could stop it. "I couldn't … _say_ it."

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Danny had tried to comfort Lindsay as best he could, but he'd been interrupted. He'd hated that some guy getting set on fire forced him to hang up on her when she was still obviously in pain, but he had a job to do. He'd spoken to her dad again for a minute before hanging up. They spoke as men do, and he'd been reassured that Montana wasn't alone. He hated the thought of her being alone.

"What other job allows you to set your boss on fire?" Mac had asked him. Much as Danny appreciated that point, he couldn't help but wish, just for now, that he had a job that allowed him more vacation time and more flexibility in when to take it. At least Mac had given him a couple of days, though. They had a firm handle on this magician guy, now, and with the Noah case all sewn up and the paperwork finished, he was now allowed to go home and _sleep_. A full eight hours. Or more. In his own bed. It was Monday night, now, and he didn't need to back at work until third shift on Thursday. Hawkes had even volunteered to take his call pager because he looked so exhausted.

Walking into his apartment, Danny flipped through the mail that had accumulated in the past couple of days. Bill, bill, credit card offer, bill. He tossed his keys down on the table and sighed. This wasn't where he wanted to be. Shrugging, he finally gave in to what he'd been feeling for days.

"Go with your instincts," he said to himself before grabbing his keys and going right back out he door he'd just walked in. He had a plane to catch.

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Lindsay tossed and turned in her bed. She couldn't sleep. She wanted to talk to Danny, but he wasn't at the lab, he wasn't at home, and his cell was turned off for reasons she couldn't fathom. How could he do this to her? Didn't he realize how much she needed him right now?

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Danny shifted in his seat, wincing as his knees hit the chair in front of him. The arm rest was digging into his ribs, the "blanket" he'd been given was paper-thin, and the "pillow" was barely big enough for his _ear_, let alone his whole head. Grunting, he squirmed a bit more, thumping his head against the pillow in a futile attempt to plump it before finally giving up and just closing his eyes.

"Good evening, folks. This is your captain speaking. It's currently 11:23pm in New York City and we've been given the all-clear to begin liftoff. Our flight today will take you to Helena, Montana via Salt Lake City, Utah with a one-hour stopover to board more passengers before we continue on to our final destination. Our flight time tonight is seven hours and forty-five minutes with two hours of time change as we fly west. I hope you enjoy your flight, and thank you for choosing FF Airlines."

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Lindsay was just restarting her testimony a little after 10am when her eyes widened in surprise. Her mental state must be worse than she thought because she could _swear_ that looked like **Danny** walking into the courtroom. But Danny was in New York. How could he walk into a courtroom in Montana? She watched with her mouth slightly agape in disbelief, just waiting for her eyes to blink and show her that she was hallucinating. It was just some other man with a passing resemblance to Danny.

But she blinked, and it still looked like him. He walked closer, and he didn't change into someone else. He stared at her with those wonderful blue eyes, letting her know that he was there for her. He was going to help her through this. She sat up a little straighter and smiled slightly as she watched him take a seat. With a deep breath and a steadier voice, she told her story.

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Danny held her hand as they heard the verdict read out. When she tilted her head against his shoulder and smiled like that, he knew that he was exactly where he was supposed to be. He didn't care if she wasn't ready, yet. He got it, now. He'd listened to her story and he'd paid attention and he understood what made her so hesitant. Seeing that smile, though, and feeling her warm hand squeeze his like that? He was definitely going to stick around and wait for her. Feeling her in his arms, he knew he'd be there for her until she could stay in his arms forever.

You did it, man. You showed her how much you want her. She knows you ain't going anywhere. She knows you're willing to put up or shut up. Now you just have to keep your pants on and not screw it up before she's ready. Turning, he moved to leave the room, but she pulled him back.

The look on her face as she moved up to kiss him said it all. He didn't screw it up, and he didn't have to wait.

She was ready.

**Author's Note: **_Oh my God! The End!_ I seriously can't believe I actually _finished_ a multi-chapter fic. And it's not even smut! My mind is totally boggling right now. Anyway, I hope you liked it. It was the plot bunny that just wouldn't die or shut up no matter what I did, and so I wrote it. Unfortunately for me, the plot bunny _still_ isn't dead, so I'm willing to do a sequel if anyone wants to read it. It would take up pretty much from where this one leaves off, I think, and would deal with the rest of Danny's time in Montana and then Lindsay returning to New York. I have a tentative title for it, but it kinda sucks, so we'll see about that. Anyway, I'm offline for most of the month of April, so I guess if anything gets written you can look forward to it in May. Thanks for reading! You guys rock!


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